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Hard to believe it’s September already. Another summer gone by too quickly. Kids will be back in school and hopefully the new school year will bring them many joyful memories to reflect on in years to come.

For some students, they will be tormented by those who believe they are the cat’s meow when in fact, they are bullies who when confronted would probably not know what to do.

With going back to school, peer pressure comes in. Some will stand strong while others will succumb to the peer pressure. Drugs, bad habits and criminal activity tend to be exposed with many believing “those things are cool.”

It was only two years ago that I wrote the series on “Sarnia Lambton’s Innocent Prescription Drug Addiction.” What a revelation not only for me but for many who had never been exposed to these deadly new drugs. Those overdosing were high in numbers, and 2 years later not much has changed except the drug becoming deadlier.

Many will give their thoughts and opinions as to what is happening and how to solve the issue. “Sure, lets open a detox centre,” however will that get to the root of the problem or expose why and how this epidemic came about? No but for many, it will most likely keep them alive. Maybe what should be looked at as well is “why can’t we control this killer drug and how did it get to this point?” Here’s to those who are doing whatever they can to contribute to making changes, offering support and trying to stop this epidemic.

Recently I read with great interest “Fentanyl deadly addicts to common street drugs have alarmed local public-health officials and put users in danger”, London Free Press, August 11, 2017. Here were some of the documented death tolls in Ontario 2015: Fentanyl 220 deaths; Hydromorphone 207 deaths; Oxycodone 179 deaths, and those are the ones we know about. How many unreported deaths are there that are attached to overdoses?

The drug addiction problem isn’t going away anytime soon. Many will give their thoughts and opinion on what is triggering this epidemic. What’s sad is knowing that good, innocent people have become addicted through a simple prescription. Many will say, “if you take it properly it’s not addictive.” Well, I remember once having a prescription filled that was to help with pain. Oh boy let me tell you, I was bouncing all over the place. One day of those pills and that was it, I settled for Tylenol to do the job for me. It didn’t relieve all the pain, but I was able to keep my sanity. Unfortunately, people become addicted which tends to lead to many negative factors that leave communities and families broken and in shock. For those who have lost loved ones, my heartfelt condolences go out to you.

May this epidemic one day come under control. With that, here’s to a great school year for all those students returning. Til next month, take care all.

Oh, and I see the speed limit on the 402-highway coming towards the bridge still hasn’t changed, neither have the truck accidents. How many in August were there? Think about all the emergency services needed and then the re-routing of traffic through city streets. I can see that being another election issue. Until then, the topic will remain silent.